Help me buy a (low cost) turntable!

[N. Abstentia]

Okay, I want to get a turntable. It's been years since I've had one (probably 15 at least!) and I'm itching to hook one up again now that I have a high end system. I've never heard vinyl through a really nice system. Problem is, as much as I'd love to have a high end turntable I just can't justify spending the money for one, so I'm looking around the $150 range max...and that's pushing it. Maybe later I'll get a Rega or Music Hall if I really like the vinyl, but I just won't use it enough right now to justify a $400 turntable.

So here's what I'm looking at. I see a Sony for $99, then Denon, Technics, and Pioneer units for $149. Right now I'm leaning towards the Denon, just a feeling I have. Any thoughts on these turntables? So far I've mainly been shopping at Onecall.com and crutchfield.com

Or, would I be better off with the cheaper Sony then spend a little on a new cartridge? If so, which one? Or does a new cartridge even help these cheaper turntables?

[hifitommy]

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1084672479

heres one, there must be more. or not.

[DMK]

Okay, I want to get a turntable. It's been years since I've had one (probably 15 at least!) and I'm itching to hook one up again now that I have a high end system. I've never heard vinyl through a really nice system. Problem is, as much as I'd love to have a high end turntable I just can't justify spending the money for one, so I'm looking around the $150 range max...and that's pushing it. Maybe later I'll get a Rega or Music Hall if I really like the vinyl, but I just won't use it enough right now to justify a $400 turntable.

So here's what I'm looking at. I see a Sony for $99, then Denon, Technics, and Pioneer units for $149. Right now I'm leaning towards the Denon, just a feeling I have. Any thoughts on these turntables? So far I've mainly been shopping at Onecall.com and crutchfield.com

Or, would I be better off with the cheaper Sony then spend a little on a new cartridge? If so, which one? Or does a new cartridge even help these cheaper turntables?

Cheap turntables are a crapshoot. It's doubtful that you'll get much of a taste of high end sound with what you've mentioned. Would you consider buying used as Hifitommy suggests? On www.audiogon.com, you might find a used Music Hall MMF2.1 around your price range or something like that. Check the seller's feedback before purchasing. If you check the site and have questions, let us know and we can probably help out. I was fortunate to find an old Technics for $50 that is a pretty decent table but a lot of their stuff is crap. Hard to know for sure but the odds are stacked against any of the tables you mentioned being much more than junk. Sorry. OTOH, I've not listened to any of them so they may be fine. If I had to choose one right off, I'd go with the Denon as well.

[N. Abstentia]

I have no problem at all going used. I just can't justify spending lots of cash one something that may get used maybe 30 minutes a month. I'm sure anyone owning/selling a nice turntable these days is going to be straight up and will take care of their equipment. In other words...I won't buy a pair of used subwoofers from the 17 year old kid driving the truck lowered to the ground with 4 different colored fenders and primer on the hood and the bumpers falling off but a guy who has a nice turntable is going to be more mature and all that...well you get the point:)

I'll keep an eye out.

[rb122]

I have no problem at all going used. I just can't justify spending lots of cash one something that may get used maybe 30 minutes a month. I'm sure anyone owning/selling a nice turntable these days is going to be straight up and will take care of their equipment. In other words...I won't buy a pair of used subwoofers from the 17 year old kid driving the truck lowered to the ground with 4 different colored fenders and primer on the hood and the bumpers falling off but a guy who has a nice turntable is going to be more mature and all that...well you get the point:)

I'll keep an eye out.

If you simply want to recreate the vinyl spinning experience out of nostalgia, one of the turntables you mentioned will do the trick. I think, however, that the other posters are trying to steer you to a "better" turntable because they believe, as I do, that once you hear vinyl on a turntable made for sound quality, you're going to want to buy more and more vinyl. It's entirely likely that the 30 minutes a month will turn into a few hours a week or more! Vinyl is that good and you may find yourself hooked!

Audiophiles tend to treat their equipment like classic car owners treat their cars! Most of the gear I've seen on the used market is at least a 7 out of 10 as far as looks, although if you look into vintage gear, age sometimes is a factor. It wouldn't surprise me at all if you found a Music Hall 2.1 in pristine shape for $150 and it wouldn't surprise me at all that, once listening to it for awhile, that you decide vinyl sounds better than CD. A less expensive turntable typically will not do that for you. But the choice is yours. Good luck!

[Jimmy C]

...I have a Realistic LAB-440 from 1984ish in almost mint condition.

This one was very close to what I had at the time, however slightly different. I wanted the exact table, and found it through the same seller a month later. I now have 2, mint LAB-440s :^P

The table has a slight mark (size of a pinhead) on the dustcover, and a slight warp in the rubber mat on the outer edge - doesn't affect play. Other than that, she is extremely nice... probably not used more than a few times. I have the original box, packing material, manual, accessories and even the sales receipt. They are usually on eBay, not at the moment, but the 440 looks similar to the 400 and 420, but I have front-mounted push button controls and a straight, black arm. I have the original cart, a Shure.

If at all interested, I'll unpack it and try it out. If you happen to be in the NY area, feel free to stop over for a look (and listen!). $100.

[N. Abstentia]

Thanks Jimmy, but I just picked up a used Pioneer PL-990 for $50. It's supposedly in 'like new' condition so hopefully that will do me good for a while. I'll see in a few days!

[Jimmy C]

Enjoy the vinyl sound, and let us know what you think!

Ciao!

[N. Abstentia]

I'm sure I will enjoy it for a change. I've got quite a few albums, and one reason I want to get back into vinyl is that I just discovered a nice stash at a house that a guy left behind when he moved out. Lots of 70's stuff from Clapton, Elton John, Doobies, Zeppelin, Supertramp, and lots of others. I've also been collecting all the Rush albums. Now I have all Rush albums on all formats :)

[dbrahms]

go on ebay and pickup a thorens td 160....then upgrade the arm. the table with stock arm should run u under $200......this model is what the Linn lp12 is based on.....copy cats

[Heraldicone]

Reply to Thread
Cheap turntables are a crapshoot. It's doubtful that you'll get much of a taste of high end sound with what you've mentioned. Would you consider buying used as Hifitommy suggests? On www.audiogon.com, you might find a used Music Hall MMF2.1 around your price range or something like that. Check the seller's feedback before purchasing. If you check the site and have questions, let us know and we can probably help out. I was fortunate to find an old Technics for $50 that is a pretty decent table but a lot of their stuff is crap. Hard to know for sure but the odds are stacked against any of the tables you mentioned being much more than junk. Sorry. OTOH, I've not listened to any of them so they may be fine. If I had to choose one right off, I'd go with the Denon as well.

I am bothered by your mention that on Audiogon.com "a lotr of their stuff is cap". I have been searching there for turntables, too, that are higher end but reasonably priced. After reading your comments, I am VERY leary! Besides reading their feedback, how else do I protect myself? Especially if the stuff looks good and the seller seems sincere?

[jrflanne]

I've had excellent luck purchasing gear from people selling on audiogon.com. You can probably get a Systemdek IIx for a couple hundred bucks, with tonearm and cartridge. That will be better than anything you can get new for the same price.
jack

[nobody]

Just one bit of advice going used...

Make sure whatever you get is in perfect working order with a new or very low hours needle unless you want to tinker with it and are able to work well with them. A lesser table in proper working order is very likely to outperform a usually better table with some glitches and/or a worn needle.

[hifitommy]

Heraldicone:"I am bothered by your mention that on Audiogon.com "a lotr of their stuff is cap"."

dan means that a lot of technics players are crap, plastic with pmount carts etc. nuthin wrong w/audiogon.

[ericl]

Hi Gang,

I know Tommy isn't a fan of Technics turntables, But I think the sl-1200 is a great table for beginners. At the moment i have and love my thorens 126, but the build quality of the 1200 makes it good entry level choice. In the past couple years I've owned an MMF-5, an ariston rd40, a Linn LP12, and now I've settled on the thorens.

First off, these things are super tough. The years and scale of production have really made them into solid, reliable beasts that will keep spinning for years. I think buying used turntables on the web is a crapshoot, they are so sensitive to shipping and you never know what problems you may have, but I think this is much less of a risk with the 1200. You could probably find a new one on the web for under $400.

Good speed control. I'm not an expert, and i do defer to Tommy's experience, but I think speed control is a very overlooked component in a turntable. I think a slow motor can have a big effect on the sound, and it drives me nuts not to be able to know that a table is operating a perfect speed.

Easy to set up and use. You still need to make all the initial adjustments to the arm, tracking weight, etc. The table gets up to speed very fast, so you can listen to more records!

Great intro to vinyl. Not the ultimate by any stretch of the imagination, but I would rather listen to a 1200 than a CD anyday. Slap a Shure or Grado Cartridge on it and you're all set.

Yeah, I hate the arm, but i like the detachable headshell and the all the adjustments it has.

Cheers,
Eric


check out all the reviews:
http://audioreview.com/TurnTables/Technics/PRD_121395_1597crx.aspx

[ericl]

WOops, forgot about the really low cost requirement.. And i just noticed that you already got one! enjoy it!

-eric